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Alaska governor names Thomas Baker to fill vacated seat in Legislature

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Alaska governor names Thomas Baker to fill vacated seat in Legislature



Thomas Baker of Kotzebue was named by Governor Mike Dunleavy to represent Alaska House District 40. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Baker)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named fellow Republican Thomas Baker of Kotzebue to fill the Alaska House seat vacated by Josiah Patkotak. 

The seat came open when Patkotak was elected to serve as mayor of the North Slope Borough. He represented House District 40, which covers a wide swath of northern Alaska, stretching from the Northwest Arctic Borough across the North Slope Borough.

Since Patkotak was registered as nonpartisan, the governor was free to nominate any qualified candidate from the district, regardless of political party, to fill the seat.

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Baker works for the Kikiktagruk Inupiat Corporation and previously served on the Kotzebue City Council, as well as the tribal council for the Native Village of Kotzebue. He previously ran for a seat in the Alaska Senate in 2020, losing to Democratic incumbent Donny Olson. 

A spokesman for the Governor says Baker’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the state’s House Republicans. However, lawyer Scott Kendall, who authored the state statute dealing with appointees, says Baker would be subject to confirmation by the Alaska House majority caucus, which includes 19 Republicans, two Democrats and an independent.


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Alaska

80 mph, 90 mph and higher: Here’s a rundown of peak gusts recorded across Southcentral Alaska in Sunday’s storm

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80 mph, 90 mph and higher: Here’s a rundown of peak gusts recorded across Southcentral Alaska in Sunday’s storm


By Anchorage Daily News

Updated: 2 hours ago Published: 3 hours ago

Here’s a list of peak wind gusts measured at various locations by the National Weather Service across Southcentral Alaska in Sunday’s storm. Crews were working Sunday evening to restore electricity to thousands of people in Anchorage and the Mat-Su.

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Gusts of more than 60 mph were recorded at various locations across the region, with gusts exceeding 80 mph at several locations on the Anchorage Hillside and higher elevations.

High winds, rain batter Anchorage and Mat-Su, with power outages reported across region

The readings were collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures, the weather service noted. Not all data listed are considered official, the weather service said. See the full list here.

Anchorage

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport: 62 mph

Merrill Field: 66 mph

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Lake Hood: 59 mph

JBER – Elmendorf: 69 mph

JBER – Fort Richardson: 73 mph

Northeast Anchorage: 75 mph

South Anchorage: 75 mph

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Glen Alps: 84 mph

Potter Valley: 91 mph

Bear Valley: 110 mph*

Arctic Valley: 107 mph*

Glenn Hwy Eagle River Bridge: 88 mph

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Glenn Hwy S Curves: 62 mph

South Fork Eagle River: 86 mph

Birchwood Airport: 53 mph

Bird Point: 75 mph

Alyeska Weather Station: 112 mph

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Alyeska Summit: 99 mph

Portage Glacier: 84 mph

Matanuska Valley

Palmer Airport: 67 mph

Wasilla Airport: 47 mph

Fishhook: 47 mph

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Duck Flats: 6 mph

Susitna Valley

Willow: 36 mph

Eastern Kenai Peninsula

Seward Airport: 51 mph

Kenai Lake: 33 mph

Granite Creek: 25 mph

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Seward / Sterling Hwys (Y): 42 mph

Whittier Airport: 60 mph*

Western Kenai Peninsula

Kenai Airport: 53 mph

Soldotna Airport: 39 mph

Kenai Beach: 46 mph

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Sterling Highway at Jean Lake: 64 mph

Nikiski: 36 mph

Anchor Point: 31 mph

Homer Airport: 46 mph

Homer Boat Harbor: 42 mph

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Seldovia Airport: 41 mph

Eastern Prince William Sound

Cordova Airport: 73 mph

Cordova Marine Ferry Terminal: 74 mph

Valdez Airport: 25 mph

Valdez Port: 23 mph

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Thompson Pass: 47 mph

Copper River Basin

Gulkana Airport: 56 mph

Chitina: 37 mph

Denali Hwy at MacLaren River: 38 mph

Eureka: 36 mph

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Kodiak Island

Kodiak Airport: 52 mph

Kodiak – Pasagshak Road: 61 mph

Akhiok: 45 mph

*Denotes site stopped transmitting wind data following report of highest wind gust.

“Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.”

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Alaska Airlines faces heat after UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gets removed from flight: 'Shame on you'

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Alaska Airlines faces heat after UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gets removed from flight: 'Shame on you'


Alaska Airlines is getting called out on social media after a clip surfaced showing a famous UFC fighter get into a dispute on-board until he was escorted off his flight. The video shows Russian hall of fame athlete Khabib Nurmgomedov debating airline staff in the U.S. while he was sitting in the exit row on the plane.

The video of the incident, which reportedly took place at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Saturday, shows an employee telling the 36-year-old mixed martial artist he either has to switch seats or get off the plane. “They’re not comfortable with you sitting in the exit row,” the worker added.

“It’s not fair,” said Nurmgomedov, who was reportedly flying to Los Angeles, to which the worker replied, “It is fair. Yes, it is.”

Nurmgomedov explained that when he was checking in for the flight, he was asked he if knew English, to which he said he did. The airline worker responded, “I understand that, but it’s also off of their judgement. I’m not going to do this back-and-forth. I will call a supervisor.”

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The employee reiterated the athlete could either take a different seat on the plane, or staff could “go ahead and escort” him off the flight. She asked “which one are we doing?” and then replied to Nurmgomedov saying they were going to have to rebook him on a different flight.

Across social media, people have been calling out Alaska Airlines asking why they had him removed from the plane. Many called for others to boycott the airline, and some claimed the staff were profiling Nurmgomedov, who is Muslim.

“Why did you remove Khabib from your plane? His fans need to know! I hope he sues you,” an Instagram user wrote on the airline’s most recent post.

“Are you aware of who Khabib is? His legacy surpasses that of the entire airline,” another chimed in.

“Shame on you, Alaska Airline. We all boycotting them,” a TikTok user added.

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“What is the reason!? Because they don’t feel comfortable he’s sitting by a window?” another questioned.

Neither Nurmgomedov or Alaska Airlines have yet commented on the situation.





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Experts recommend preparing in case of Southcentral power outages as storm approaches

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Experts recommend preparing in case of Southcentral power outages as storm approaches


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – With a storm approaching and high winds in the forecast for a portion of Southcentral Alaska, experts recommend preparing for potential power outages and taking safety precautions.

Experts with the State of Alaska, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management recommended taking the initiative early in case of power outages due to strong weather.

Julie Hasquet with Chugach Electric in Anchorage said Saturday the utility company has 24/7 operators in case of outages.

“We watch the weather forecast, and absolutely, if there are power outages, we will send crews out into the field to respond,” Hasquet said.

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She echoed others, saying it’s best to prepare prior to a storm and not need supplies rather than the other way around.

“With the winds that are forecast for tonight and perhaps into Sunday, people should just be ready that it could be some challenging times, and to be aware and cautious and kind of have your radar up,” Hasquet said.

For the latest weather updates and alerts, download the Alaska’s Weather Source app.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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